Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-02-17

II WAS a bright August morning. and Fran
co.'s was sitting at his door smoking. He was
watching "A squirrel that was seated at the
root of a tree. twirling something between his
front feet, when a small. tattered boy, with
wide, frightened eyes that turned to all sides
as if he expected to be pounced on by soms
hidden enemy. came toward him from the
bush Francois turned and spoke to him.
He answered:
"I-I-want Octave 4
Gone away"
But must see Octave
Cant"
But must"
Cant; gone away"
"lS he going 10 come backT
Tonight"
But | must see him before to night. I
have to tell him something"
Cant; home tonight. Tell me-
1t was the Youngest of the McMorran boys
| Tim He could not understand Francois's
French, and Francois could speak but little
English.
Il can't tell yol. Will you tell Octave!"
YES"
well, when was fishing last night, down
/ by the bank, two fellows came and talked
near where | was, and heard them. and one
| of the Phean boys is going, 10 shoot Octave
tonight"
TO shoot Octave" Froncois jumped TO his
feet. Why
Because our keila won't marry him, and
he thinks she's going to marry Octave
when"
/ Il don't know"
TO shoot Octave-whenr'
Tonight, down at the old road"
will YOU tell Octave:'
Morn tone that set Tins teeth
| chattering-'' Yes, yes, yes: go home" The
small boy ran away, but was soon stealing
back "Will-will-you tell Octavei"
| YES: go home"
| Francois thought long time, and
then began to throw chips at the squir-
rel that hanging head downward half
way up the tree.
1t was twilight; and down where the path
from the Ducllarmes' joined the old road a
figure crUuching in the bushes held a gun,
steadied i'll the low crotch of a shrub and
pointed right across his path His jaws
were tightly locked, and whenever he chanced
TO open them his teeth Chartered as if the
warm evening breeze that just stirred the
bushes was blast from the north. Every
now and then his whole body shook convul-
sively and the gun ratified in the forked
branch. He was listening for step in the
path. Now he thought he heard it, and
drew himself together with great effort; but
il was some other sound in the woods
He noticed nothing stirriAg behind him;
and when a collie, with an angry growl,
jumped out into the path and ran away,
with its tail between its legs, the cold
sweat burst out on his face and hands
But now he could make no mistake-there
was some one coming. and he huddled over
the gun The twigS were cracking in the still
air. and be thought he could hear the bushes
sway: but before he could he sure there was
Il grip on his neck like Il vice, and his hands
left the gun to grasp pair of iron wrists.
He turned slowly over on the ground, and
figure knelt on his chest, choking him until
his eyes glared whitley in the darkness and
his tongue shot out between his teeth, and
held him among the little ferns and moses so
tightly that he could not even have stirred
them with his breath. And now the twigs
commenced TO break, the rustic of leaves
grew louder. and some one passed with long,
swinging strides. TLey Hould hear him
breathe, and it seemed like century before
lls- eIi "eAN lhi'A ut-tkALi. Htil
laxed and an arm reached for the gun. The
figure rose slowly. but the other did not stir.
He drew in his tongue graSped his throat with
his bar ds. and continued glaring with white,
distended eves into the face Of the form above
him. The hands had grasped the gun and had
torn the stock from the barrel and thrown each
i'll a different direction. Then the foot stirred
the man who was struggling for breath on
the ground He turned over slowly and lay
still for u moment; then he rose on his hands
and knees and crawlcd like a wounded snake,
into the low, uncertain cedar shadows.
Watching for a while where the darkness had
swallowed up that cringing form, parting the
bushes and standing on The path, where the
first trembling star of evening was shining
Francois Ducharme stepped homeward to the
BaSkatOnge.
Octave had walked steadily until he came
TO where the path turned along the lake side
There was a thin screen of bushes between
the path and the shore, but where the ground
rose suddenly the point that juttod into the
water was bare OF trees, save Amaple or two
As he approached this point the sound Of
singing reached his ears, and he almost knelt
aS be stretched himself at full length to listen
From where the shore line shOne like silver
against the clear, black shades, from
where the night was bending earthward,
violet Swallowed, from where the night
wind waited in the SedgeS; stilling the distant
trilling and whrring, floating into the rock
ing reeds, trembling about the dreaming ar
row heads, waking evasive echoes from sleep
shrouded thicket>, calling out the wondering
starS-the voice toatel on the lake to where
the listener lay with hidden face and stilled /
breath.
All the grass seemed stirring about him, /
and leaf. withered before Its time dropped |
lightly on his head. How far away the sing |
ing sounded; and now he seemed not to hear /
il at all
The past ycarS-the wide silence Of the |
woods-the far away fall of trees-the call of /
some moss mantled Stream-the mothers /
quiet ways-the future. the future-a home
somewhere-ani keila McMorran singing in
the evening-until a wiIiful wind sprang up |
and caught the unfinished strain and bore it /
away up the hills, where the young birds
just heard 1t and opened their wings and
slept again. And the years that passed him
slowly found him, with the unfinished song
in his ears, waiting for the strain that went
with the wind over the hilltops.
He rose and walked ON to the McMorrans',
and when his face was set again toward the
and the moon was half way up
the sky, there was a song in the air which the
trees had never heard before.
The house was dark. He opened the door
quietly and went softly to where Francois
was sleeping on the low bed built against the
wall. He sat down beside him and passed his
hand gently over his face. Then Francois
awoke, and the brothers talked for a long
time in low tones
at is all right / have asked her.
"Andr
"And she has said 'Yes-Yes;' Keila herself
'aid Yes am happy, little brother"
Francois face was white in the dimneS.
"And now what will you dor
Il will have farm, and YOU will live with